US history’s most popular commemorative coin program was and still is the 50 States Quarter Program. It is estimated that almost half of the US population collects these commemorative coins, both casually and in a collector manner. We will discuss this program more in detail in a bit.

Anyhow, there are billions of these coins minted (approximately 696 million coins per state) and most of them are pretty common in circulation. However, some of them are very valuable, due to minting errors, low mintage, or overall design. I’m saying this because we all tend to overlook our pocket change and treat it like it is worthless.

Well, I hope that after reading this article we will all become more aware of the coins we are dealing with. So, grab your favorite hot beverage, get cozy, and let’s talk about the most valuable state quarters we come across daily.

Let’s Chit Chat About 50 State Quarters Program

About 50 State Quarters Program

This commemorative program was launched in 1999, with a 10-year initiative to honour each of the nation’s states in the correct order. The order was based on the facts of how they were ratified within the Constitution or when they joined the Union.

What is unique about these coins is that each of the state quarters was produced for 10 weeks straight and no more. Meaning, that design, will never be produced again, which makes them special.

If you take a coin in your hand and flip it you will find the state design on the tail side, also known as the reverse of the coin. While the image of George Washington is placed on the front or obverse side. Also, there is one more special thing about the design of these coins.

Since the state’s images are rather big and they almost occupy the whole reverse side of the coin, the phrases like “The United States of America,” and “In God We Trust” are all relocated on the obverse.

The minting order

This program was active from 1999 to 2008. During that time, the U.S. Mint made five new quarters every year, and as I already mentioned, released them in the same order as the state’s “birthdays”. Here is the accurate list:

  • 1999 – Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut.
  • 2000 – Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, and Virginia.
  • 2001 – New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Kentucky.
  • 2002 – Tennessee, Ohio, Louisiana, Indiana, and Mississippi.
  • 2003 – Illinois, Alabama, Maine, Missouri, and Arkansas.
  • 2004 – Michigan, Florida, Texas, Iowa, and Wisconsin.
  • 2005 – California, Minnesota, Oregon, Kansas, and West Virginia.
  • 2006 – Nevada, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
  • 2007 – Montana, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah.
  • 2008 – Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, Alaska, and Hawaii.

The first coin was released on January 1, 1999, featuring Delaware. The last coin with the state of Hawaii was released on November 3, 2008.

List Of Most Valuable State Quarters

List Of Most Valuable State Quarters

Before we start with our list there is one thing I ask you to remember which is crucial for determining which coins are rare and scarce, and which are less valuable. You need to pay attention to the minting mark, and where the coin was struck.

The state quarters that were intended for official circulation were minted at the Philadelphia and Denver mints. The proof coins were produced in San Francisco. While the Oklahoma mint struck quarters for circulation as well, they had the lowest total mintage so these ones are pretty rare compared to the other two mints.

Name and year (Images) Mintage and varieties Metal composition Diameter and weight Estimated value for circulated and uncirculated coins
1999-S 25C Delaware Statehood Quarter Silver PR70 Deep Cameo PCGS 804,565 90% silver

10% copper

24.3 mm

6.30 grams

$17,250
1999-P 25C Pennsylvania Statehood Quarter–Experimental Planchet–MS67 349,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS (minting states) available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$9,775
1999-S 25C Georgia Statehood Quarter Silver PR70 Deep Cameo PCGS 804,565

Yes, there are a few MS available

90% silver

10% copper

24.3 mm

6.30 grams

$6,037
2004-D 25C Wisconsin Statehood Quarte, Extra Leaf Low, FS-5902, MS67 PCGS 226,800,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$6,000
1999-P 25C Delaware Statehood Quarter–Struck on Experimental Planchet–MS66 PCGS 373,400,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$4,887
1999-P Connecticut  Statehood Quarter — MS67 688,744,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$4,362
2003-P 25C Missouri Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS 225,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$4,312
2006-D 25C North Dakota Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS 359,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,760
2002-D 25C Indiana Statehood Quarter — MS69 NGC 327,200,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,760
2000-P 25C Massachuse Statehood Quarter —  MS69 NGC 628,600,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,760
2000-P 25C South Carolina Statehood Quarter — MS69 Prooflike NGC 742,576,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,525
2002-D 25C Ohio Statehood Quarter — MS69 NGC 414,832,000

Yes, there are a few MS avialble

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,525
2004-P 25C Texas Statehood Quarter — MS69 NGC 278,800,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$3,055
2000-D 25C South Carolina Statehood Quarter–Struck 9 Times MS63 566,208,000

Yes, there are a few MS availble

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,990
2001-P 25C New York Statehood Quarter — MS69 PCGS 655,400,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25%nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,585
2001-P 25C Kentucky Statehood Quarter — MS69 PCGS 353,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,585
2008-D New Mexico Statehood Quarter Missing Edge Lettering — MS62 244,400,000

Yes, there are a few MS availabel

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,500
1999-S 25C New Jersey Silver PR70 Deep Cameo PCGS 804,565

Yes, there are a few MS available

90% silver

10% copper

24.3 mm

6.30 grams

$2,530
2004-D 25C Wisconsin Statehood Quarter Extra Leaf High MS66 PCGS 226,800,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,530
2006-P 25C Nebraska Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS 318,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,350
2008-D 25C Alaska Statehood Quarter — MS69 NGC 254,000,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,350
1999-D 25C Connecticut Statehood Quarter — MS68 657,880,000

Yes. there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,300
2003-S 25C Illinois Statehood Quarter PR 70 Deep Cameo PCGS 3,408,516

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,185
2000-P New Hampshire Statehood Quarter — MS64 673,040,000

Yes, there are a few NS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,182
2007-P 25C Wyoming

Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS

243,600,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$2,115
2003-D 25C Maine Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS 231,400,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,997
2005-P 25C California Statehood Quarter Satin MS70 PCGS 1,160,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,840
2004-D 25C Iowa Statehood  Quarter — MS69 PCGS 3,093,273

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,840
1999-P 25C New Jersey  Statehood Quarter — MS68 PCGS 363,200,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,560
2000-P 25C Error Maryland Statehood Quarter–On 5C Planchet–MS65 ANACS 678,200,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,495
2003-D 25C Illinois Statehood Quarter —  MS68 PCGS 237,400,000

Yes, there are a few MS available

75% copper

25% nickel

24.3 mm

5.67 grams

$1,175

How To Indentify State Quarters By Their Type

How To Indentify State Quarters By Their Type

To be able to know how to identify the real from the fake state quarters there are few things you need to know. First, make sure you know the year when the particular State Quarter is minted since for example, the Illinois coin was minted only in 2003.

Also, I just briefly mentioned that there are four different types of state quarters:

  • Circulated state quarters – Naturally, the most common type of state quarters are the ones that were minted for purpose of general circulation. These are still in circulation so this means that most of them have only a face value – of 25 cents.
  • Uncirculated state quarters – These were made for circulation, but instead they ended up in the hands of collectors or in bankroll reserves. They’re in great condition, and the good news is that they are worth a bit more than their face value, but that still does not go over a few dollars.
  • Clad-proof quarters – Proof coins are in most cases very valuable since they are struck multiple times in a special process that provides sharply-defined features and a mirror-like surface. These coins are labeled as Cameo finish and they all have an “S” mint mark because they were made in San Francisco. In this case, clad-proof state quarters were made as a special five-coin-proof set made out of 91.67% copper and 8.33% nickel.
  • Silver-proof quarters – Also, the U.S. Mint also releases silver-proof state quarter sets. These are minted from 90% silver and 10% copper, and their value is tied to the value of their silver content.

What’s their actual worth?

I’m sure that some of you are confused now. So to make it a bit clear I’ll explain it in a simple example. Let’s talk about the 2004-D Wisconsin quarter coin which has three varieties:

  • The regular one with the mint mark “D” which labels the Denver Mint and it features a corn cob and a wheel of cheese without any leaf.
  • The second variety of the 2004-D Wisconsin quarter coin features Extra Leaf located lower and closer to the cheese wheel.
  • The third variety of the 2004-D Wisconsin quarter coin comes with Extra Leaf which is positioned higher and closer to the corn.

So the second and third varieties, in circulated condition, are worth selling since their price goes from $30 up to $175, depending on the condition and if it was certified (MS label) by PCGS, NCG, or some other similar grading service.

Where Can I Search For Valuable State Quarters?

Search For Valuable State Quarters

My ultimate advice, when we talk about the coins that are collectible and yet still in circulation, is to take a good look at your wallet, pockets, and jars with coins. Please keep in mind that most of the circulated coins are in a bad shape and their worth is only face value.

Also, you can always look for the particular coin of your interest at reliable places such as:

If you need any help with research or identification of a certain coin you should look for guidance and advice on the Coin Community forum.

FAQ

Which State Quarter is the rarest?

There is not only one rare State Quarter, in fact, but there are also 10 different coins you should pay attention to. Make sure you look for the following ones:

  • 2008-D Oklahoma
  • 2004-P Iowa
  • 2002-P Ohio
  • 2003-P Maine
  • 2008-P Oklahoma
  • 2003-P Alabama
  • 2003-P Missouri
  • 2003-P Illinois
  • 2004-D Michigan
  • 2004-P Wisconsin

Which State Quarters have valuable minting error?

As you know when crafting something, no matter if it is handmade or machine-made, there is always a chance of some error.

In most cases when it comes to coins these errors are beneficial since they increase the value of the coin. Here is the list of coins that are minted with error and are very sought-after among coin collectors. Look for the following:

  • 2004-D Wisconsin – the rare error design features a cow, a corn cob, a wheel of cheese, and an extra cornstalk leaf.
  • 2005-P Kansas – here we have a machine error. The error occurred when the lubricating grease escaped from the machine onto the obverse surface and plugged up the letter “T” in “trust”. The end result is “in god we rust”.
  • 2005-P Minnesota Doubled Die Quarter – these coins feature errors such as an extra treetop right next to the fourth evergreen located on the right of the state outline. This error occurred because the coining die had an area of misaligned impressions.
  • 2006-P Nevada Clipped Planchet Quarter – metal planchets are automatically fed through the cutting machine, but if the planchet fails to move forward at the proper speed the punches overlap. This is how we get the clipped planchets, which are very valuable errors as it seems.

Is There Any Point Of Collecting State Quarters?

State quarters are still circulating, therefore, most circulated examples are damaged, and only worth their face value. But if you are lucky enough, a nice uncirculated coin or a set will come across your path. They are worth slightly more.

However, if you are looking to earn a couple of thousands of dollars then you need to search for coins that carry at least grade MS-68. This seems easy, but unfortunately, finding coins that are minted for usage in such good condition is very hard, still, I wish you all the luck.

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